Beyond Doubt

I debate back and forth in my mind to take or not take medicine. I’m not talking about just for pain, but for any illness. I’ve searched the scripture and found quite often God uses pain and circumstance to get ones attention or, as in the case with Job to accomplish a greater purpose. But, even Job found a bit of comfort as he sat in the garbage refuse scraping his sores with a broken pottery shard. Here is a broken man using broken pottery for comfort. Would we take that away from him saying, “Suffer more, suffer greater.” Of course not!

I know beyond any shadow of doubt our Father could take the rods, screws, and cadaver bones out of my back and instantly heal me. Jesus broke the physical laws governing these miraculous things all the time. Yet, with Paul, writer of most of the New Testament, our Jesus told him, “My grace is sufficient.” But did Paul take his own advice that he gave to Timothy? “Take a little wine…,” Did Paul do this too? Well we don't know, but we do know that Paul was willing to give up anything that hindered an immature believer. So, I doubt it, or at least not around an immature believer.

Only King Asa in 2 Chronicles 16:12 was cast in derogatory light for using doctors or medicine. But, it is because he didn't seek the Lord first. Let’s go back to my first question or statement. There are references throughout the bible of both healing and use of medicine. Medicines were in raw forms then, and I'm not going down a road to figure out what they were, not now. God uses his built in auto-healing mechanisms to repair and replace our worn out flesh all the time. He even uses supernatural methods to heal, yet on a rarer basis. And, He uses doctors and medicine too. So we are left with the first question all over, however with a broader insight of God’s word. There is physical healing in Jesus, but it’s guaranteed only the New Heaven and New Earth. For now we do our best to look through a dimmed mirror and distinguish God's will from principles and statutes. We search the scriptures and pray, and hopefully use wisdom.

I try to do all this right, but, I've blackened both my eyes tripping too. I want to live a holy, godly life, but the tricks of the devil are many and they come in all shapes forms and sizes. And, don't forget Satan’s been going to church longer than you, and probably knows God’s word better that you. So, what’s the key? Well, I only know that if you walk according to the Spirit of God, you will not fulfill fleshly evil desires. I wish I could say I've always walked this way, I haven't, but I do more and more.

^“13 My brothers and sisters, God called you to be free, but do not use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful self. Serve each other with love.¹⁴ The whole law is made complete in this one command: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."^[b]15 If you go on hurting each other and tearing each other apart, be careful, or you will completely destroy each other.

The Spirit and Human Nature

 ¹⁶ So I tell you: Live by following the Spirit. Then you will not do what your sinful selves want.¹⁷ Our sinful selves want what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against our sinful selves. The two are against each other, so you cannot do just what you please.¹⁸ But if the Spirit is leading you, you are not under the law.

 ¹⁹ The wrong things the sinful self does are clear: being sexually unfaithful, not being pure, taking part in sexual sins,²⁰ worshiping gods, doing witchcraft, hating, making trouble, being jealous, being angry, being selfish, making people angry with each other, causing divisions among people,²¹ feeling envy, being drunk, having wild and wasteful parties, and doing other things like these. I warn you now as I warned you before: Those who do these things will not inherit God's kingdom.²² But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³ gentleness, self-control. There is no law that says these things are wrong.²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their own sinful selves. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do.²⁵ We get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit.²⁶ We must not be proud or make trouble with each other or be jealous of each other.”  Galatians 5:13-26 NCV